Oli France

From Iraq to Syria, Congo to Yemen, Somalia to Siberia, Oli France has learned what it takes to assemble, motivate and lead high-performing teams towards world-class goals in the harshest environments. As a speaker, France illuminates how we can lead elite teams with purpose and vision, unlock true self-confidence, develop our resilience, and shift our perspectives on what we think is possible.

For over fifteen years, France’s adventures have taken him through deserts, jungles, mountains, and war-torn regions across 75 countries. He has faced spies, interrogators, minefields and arrest, along with avalanches, earthquakes, meningitis and severe dehydration. France has learned, however, that in some of the darkest places and the bleakest situations, we can encounter untold beauty and unshakable strength, if we allow ourselves to find it.

In May 2024, France became the first person this century to complete a fully human-powered journey from Death Valley to Denali. A 64-day 3,588-mile expedition from the lowest point in North America to the highest. The expedition generated global media coverage from outlets including the BBC, The Times, Nat Geo and Red Bull magazine. This expedition is part of France’s major world-first ‘Ultimate Seven’ project, in which he aims to become the first person to journey entirely by human power from the lowest point in each continent to the highest.

His other expeditions have included a solo winter 8,000-mile mountaineering journey from Hong Kong to Istanbul, a 400-mile solo winter crossing of Lake Baikal, Siberia, a 1,634-mile human-powered journey from Lac Assal, Djibouti, to Kilimanjaro, plus climbing the highest mountain in Iraq, volcanoes in the Congo, and other notable summits across dozens of countries.

France is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Member of the Scientific Exploration Society and a Winter Mountain Leader with a Degree in Outdoor Leadership. He is supported by a number of global brands.